Analysis of The night wind

Eugene Field 1850 (St. Louis) – 1895 (Chicago)



Have you ever heard the wind go "Yooooo"?
'T is a pitiful sound to hear!
It seems to chill you through and through
With a strange and speechless fear.
'T is the voice of the night that broods outside
When folk should be asleep,
And many and many's the time I've cried
To the darkness brooding far and wide
Over the land and the deep:
Whom do you want, O lonely night,
That you wail the long hours through?"
And the night would say in its ghostly way:
   "Yoooooooo!
    Yoooooooo!
    Yoooooooo!"

My mother told me long ago
(When I was a little tad)
That when the night went wailing so,
Somebody had been bad;
And then, when I was snug in bed,
Whither I had been sent,
With the blankets pulled up round my head,
I'd think of what my mother'd said,
And wonder what boy she meant!
And "Who's been bad to-day?" I'd ask
Of the wind that hoarsely blew,
And the voice would say in its meaningful way:
   "Yoooooooo!
    Yoooooooo!
    Yoooooooo!"

That this was true I must allow -
You'll not believe it, though!
Yes, though I'm quite a model now,
I was not always so.
And if you doubt what things I say,
Suppose you make the test;
Suppose, when you've been bad some day
And up to bed are sent away
From mother and the rest -
Suppose you ask, "Who has been bad?"
And then you'll hear what's true;
For the wind will moan in its ruefulest tone:
   "Yoooooooo!
    Yoooooooo!
    Yoooooooo!"


Scheme axbxcdccdxbeAAA fgfghihhixbeAAA jfjfekeekgbxAAA
Poetic Form
Metre 111010111 110100111 11111101 1010101 11011011111 111101 010010111 101010101 1001001 11111101 11101101 0011101101 1 1 1 11011101 1110101 11011101 10111 01111101 101111 101011111 1111111 0101111 01111111 101111 00111011001 1 1 1 11111101 110111 11110101 11111 01111111 011101 01111111 01111101 110001 01111111 011111 101110111 1 1 1
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,345
Words 264
Sentences 19
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 15, 15, 15
Lines Amount 45
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 340
Words per stanza (avg) 85
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 17, 2023

1:20 min read
212

Eugene Field

Eugene Field, Sr. was an American writer, best known for his children's poetry and humorous essays. more…

All Eugene Field poems | Eugene Field Books

2 fans

Discuss this Eugene Field poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The night wind" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/13083/the-night-wind>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    5
    hours
    10
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    A long narrative poem that tells the adventures of a heroic figure is called an _______.
    A sonnet
    B ode
    C ballad
    D epic